


Are You Challenging Me?

by language_escapes



Category: Elementary (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Gen, POV Character of Color, POV Female Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-03
Updated: 2014-04-03
Packaged: 2018-01-18 02:16:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1411264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/language_escapes/pseuds/language_escapes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The portrait has a meaning.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Are You Challenging Me?

**Author's Note:**

> A response to the prompt "Joan, Moriarty, Are You Challenging Me?" Originally posted at my tumblr.
> 
> This is the shortest thing I have ever written. I am taking immense pride in this fact.

After Moriarty is taken to a prison hospital, the FBI decides to close their deal with her. Too dangerous, too unpredictable.

She is tempted to tell them that Moriarty isn’t unpredictable at all. Joan always knew that, given the opportunity, she would destroy everyone around her. But Joan suspects she has a unique perspective on Moriarty. She wasn’t in love with one of her alter egos like Sherlock, and she doesn’t admire her great brain like the FBI.

How can she, when that brain is used to hurt so many people? Intelligence doesn’t make you an admirable person; what you do with it does.

Agent Mattoo, held together with stitches and weak, offers her the painting that Moriarty made of her. She wants to say no, that it’s revolting- because it is- but she accepts it anyway. Because she thinks there is something more there than just a strange obsession.

She’s right. She sits with the painting in her room, studying it, analyzing it, and shoving it in her closet at night so it doesn’t freak her out too much. After two weeks, she realizes there is a code imbedded in the painting, if you know where to look. A message just for her, in the brush strokes.

_Solve me_ , it says, and it startles a laugh right out of Joan.

She thinks Moriarty meant it as a challenge, but then, Moriarty is full of herself.

She isn’t the challenge she thinks she is.


End file.
